We always consider the impact of our business on the environment and, as part of our Little Helps Plan, we have outlined three key steps to help us reduce waste and boost recycling across the UK:

Remove, reduce and redesign packaging materials

Improve recovery and recycling

Raise awareness in order to change customer behaviour

Last year in four of our stores we began trialling recycling machines that will pay customers for every plastic bottle returned. The trial will encourage customers to recycle plastic bottles and help us move towards a closed loop approach.

Through the trial we’ve now collected 100,000 bottles and had a great response from customers testing the machines. The collected bottles will be recycled and made into new plastic bottles. The highest amount of bottles returned in a day was 1,052 in Edinburgh’s Hermiston Gait Superstore. We’ve worked with three different suppliers to trial the machines – which can also be found in our Borehamwood Extra, Stretford Extra in Manchester and Swansea Marina Superstore.

Our Quality Director Sarah Bradbury says:

“We're committed to making sure all our packaging is recyclable as we look at new ways to make recycling simpler for customers. Trialling reverse vending machines is one part of our efforts.It’s one of the many ways we're helping to close the recycling loop and prevent plastic packaging from going to waste.”

For more information on our position on packaging and our closed loop approach visit our website.

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